I'd wished we'd come earlier, if only so Julie hadn't had to sit alone while the others glared at her. We wouldn't be sitting on the stage with her, but our presence would be comfort enough.
"There are chairs in the back," Riley murmured.
But, as we diverted to go around those already seated, my father stood, clearing his throat. "We hoped you would come, but since you didn't respond to our RSVP, we didn't know. Your chairs have been held for you," he said, and though he smiled, I couldn't trust it.
The last time we'd spoken had been the day of the failed mating party. At that time, his plan had been to open the role of Alpha up for discussion with the pack. But not all of the people in attendance now were even a part of this pack.
"We can sit where there is space," I replied stiffly.
"Nonsense, they were just placeholders." Glendon twitched his hand, and the shifters in the front row—Paul, Tyrone, and the unfamiliar faces excluded—stood to sit in the chairs we'd originally spotted.
I narrowed my eyes at the open seats. Front and center. My father had a plan, and I was in the unfortunate position of having no idea what it was.
The moment we sat, my father stood and cleared his throat. "I wanted to begin this evening by thanking you all for accepting me as Interim Alpha. It has been my pleasure to serve—"
Nash snorted loudly.
My father scowled but tried to ignore it. "It has been my pleasure to serve each of you, but as I am not an alpha, I don't have the authority to remain your leader, nor do I have the authority to decide on the new Alpha on my own. This must be a pack decision…"
I sighed silently, relieved he'd stuck with his original idea. My father was technically correct: a shifter needed to be an alpha to be nominated as Alpha of the pack, but once nominated, a pack Alpha was basically all powerful.
Our grandfather, the late Alpha Walker, could have appointed anyone he wanted to follow him. But he'd clung to his power until the very end, refusing to name anyone who wasn't a Walker.
"…and as a pack you have appointed us, your Elders, with the duty and responsibility of making decisions for the welfare of us all. For that reason, we've decided that it is time this pack experienced a change. It's time we grow and dust off the spectacle and tragedy these years have become. It's time we say goodbye to old dreams and greet our future. Better. Bigger. Stronger."
The lump in my throat grew the longer my father spoke. I wasn't going to like what he said; I knew that much already. My hand trembled with restrained fury. Hollister squeezed my fingers, but not even he could soothe me.
My mate and daughter were my life. My family—my true family—were a close second. But this pack, the people who lived and relied on its strength, they weren't nothing. But they were the ones who would be harmed. Their lives would be the ones disrupted.
"Steady, Aver," Branson said from the corner of his mouth. "It's a trap. Like every other time."
I nodded once curtly. I had no doubt that this was a trap, but this time, they'd finally constructed one we couldn't avoid.
One I couldn't avoid.
"The Elders and I came together before this meeting and voted, taking the majority opinion." His lips curled into the ghost of a snarl.
I was sure Julie was the reason he'd said majority opinion and not unanimous.
"We've been in close contact with our friends, allies, and neighbors. We've discussed our best options and have come to terms with the fact that our numbers have been dwindling for some time. A once mighty pack has dimmed into shadows of its former glory. We must adapt or be overrun. For this reason, and so many others, we have decided to join forces. Starting tonight, the Walker County pack will be a subsidiary to El Paso County. We will be led by their Alpha, Harold Woody. For the sake of unity and clarity, his best man, Jeb, will act as the Alpha's official representative. But don't worry. We will all be staying on as your Elders. We would not abandon you in a time of so much need."
His emphasis was meant for me alone, and I felt each word like a stab to my gut.
Hollister cursed and straightened. His thighs tightened like he was ready to run. I held onto his hand, not in an attempt to force him to stay but to reassure him.
I understood Paul's expression perfectly now. The El Paso County pack had been the very one he'd escaped from when he came here.
I recognized Jeb now too. He'd been one of the shifters who had come to Walker County when Delia had put a call out for auxiliary support. He'd promised to return to his Alpha and report the chaos he discovered. Paul had belonged to his brother, though their process of mating didn't sound anything like ours. It had been an unhappy union, and when he'd died, Paul had taken the first chance he had to run. He'd barely been of age when he'd arrived in Walker County.
According to our pack laws, Jeb had zero claim on Paul, but as mouth of the Alpha? Everything could change.
"Fucking evil," Nash breathed.
The crowd began to murmur, the noise growing into a buzz as anger and fear collided.
"Can they do this?" a shifter behind me hissed. She hadn't been talking to me, but to anyone around her who would listen.
"What choice do they have?" another responded.
What choice did they have…
Every choice. But this was the one they'd made because my father knew I couldn't allow it. I might not have agreed with them in that a Walker alpha must rule the pack, but I couldn't let them hand it over to a monster.
All I had to judge Harold was the people who came from his rule. Paul was one of the best men I knew, and he'd run from Harold's pack. On the other hand, Jeb was a steaming pile of shit, and now that pile was going to act as mouth of the Alpha?
My chest rumbled. My growl began quietly but grew the longer I watched Paul's face.
If Nana were here, she would've stood up, put a stop to this. As mate to the former Alpha, her words held weight, especially with the people of the pack—unlike the words of the Elders. The Elders had only ever been a source of income for the pack. And it wasn't like any of them tried to change that over the years.
They'd turned themselves into royalty, and now that they faced a ruler who might not have been on their side, they were scrambling.
Many in the audience stood. I wasn't the only one growling.
Jeb sneered at the crowd, likely memorizing the faces of those who had spoken out. My father remained silent, letting the pack whip themselves into a frenzy.
"You can't do this!" someone shouted. Paul was a loved member, and he wasn't quiet about where he came from either. The pack knew what this decision meant.
At that, my father lifted his hands. "I know some of you are afraid. We've heard stories about the El Paso County pack that have put them in a less than favorable light. But, in reality—"
"There is no light that makes child marriages okay," Paul snarled.
Jeb didn't deny what Paul had said. He just looked at him, his smile widening like the jaws of a shark. "You are grown now, Paulie."
Tyrone snarled, lunging forward. Nash and Wyatt went for his arms, holding him back as Jeb continued to taunt him.
But as the pandemonium grew, I watched my father watch me. His eyes were dark, soulless, unblinking, and victorious.